Realms of Fantasy, August 2008

In the August, 2008, issue of Realms of Fantasy, Carrie Vaughn weaves a moving tale about hope and wounded veterans in “A Letter to Nancy.” Set in a Belgian hospital during WWII, Private Sergeant Andrews has a scarred face and is missing one eye. Molly, his nurse, offers to write a letter to his loved ones. But there’s one problem-he has none to write to. Therefore, he has her write the letter to an imaginary one. To tell you what results would obviously be a spoiler, so I’ll leave that for you to find out yourself.

Vaughn, being a military brat, knows well the aspects of war and military service, and her deep understanding comes through in this story. It is a deeply moving tale that goes straight to the heart of it all: that our veterans are human beings, not statistics. Regardless of whether any of us has differing views on current events, there is one thing I know we all agree on. The government needs to fulfill their responsibilities and take proper care of our wounded veterans-no ifs, no ands, no buts-period.

I recommend this wonderful story to everyone, especially to politicians.

“Spiderhorse” by Liz Williams borrows from the Norse mythology of the Hunt. While the tale in and of itself is well plotted and has a good twist, and the characterization is done competently, it lacks somewhat in its first-person point of view. Not only does it suffer from what I’ve termed the “Where’s Ishmael Syndrome,” there’s a feeling of the story being told instead of shown. Aside from that, it’s an enjoyable tale.

“The Restroom Murders” by Peni R. Griffin is a tale of gossip and rumor being made true by the collective consensual belief of the group combined with the high stress level of the workplace. Griffin displays an understanding of parapsychology and weaves it into a complete story with well-developed characters and flowing narration. The plot twist at the end was logical in the context of the story, but predicable. That’s not to say the ending doesn’t work, for it is the type of ending that makes you want to clap. Overall, Griffin does a fine job.

“Daughter of Bótù” by Eugie Foster* delivers a dark and dramatic tale of hengeyokai, tragic love, and the intrigues of royalty. Foster delivers rich description in a narrative style that flows naturally, shows character depth without lengthy explanation, and builds plot structure like a professional engineer. In a day of too-easily-bored ADD readers, Foster manages to walk that razor’s edge between verbosity and action, and come out with no cuts at a time when many other writers find themselves bleeding from multiple wounds.

There is much one can say about the story, thematically, as well, both in its obvious meanings and its underlying “hidden” themes. But such is the nature of stories that adhere to the tradition of the modern reincarnation of ancient myth-telling, and Foster shows much proficiency in the tradition.

“Light of a Thousand Suns” by James Van Pelt gives self-sacrifice a whole new meaning. A mall security officer, Trellis, notices a trailer parked out in the lot, and most people-including him at times-don’t seem to notice. But in the rare moments he has noticed the trailer, he also notices that, of the people lining up to enter it, those who enter never exit. He decides to find out what’s going on and becomes immersed in an otherworldly scenario both bizarre and enlightening in a disturbing way.

There is much to be taken from the story, thematically, and it is a mysterious and suspenseful tale. More of a character-based/theme-based story than a dramatic one, but it still maintains reader interest. A worthwhile read.

“Somebody Desperately Needed to be Neil Gaiman” by Way Jeng is quirky in its comedy while also sad in its look into human nature, familial relationships, and the urge to be creative. A father who reads a Neil Gaiman book to his child at bedtime discovers that his daughter only enjoys stories from Neil Gaiman. But eventually, he runs out of Neil Gaiman stories to read her. So what’s a dad to do to keep his daughter happy? Why, try to write like Neil Gaiman, of course! A well told tale and one I recommend.

“Ours to Fight For” by Jim C. Hines is quite possibly one of the most relevant stories given current events over the past several years. Hines takes a common fantasy staple-elves-and works it into a tale of war, racism, and a family’s struggle to cope with the realities of both while trying to survive in a kill-or-be-killed world. It’s as full of action, intrigue, moral quandary, and drama that one short story can ever possibly contain, and Hines narrates the tale in a manner that makes the narration invisible. I recommend this story to everyone, especially to a certain subsect of my fellow “conservatives.”

[*Disclosure notice: Eugie Foster is the managing editor of The Fix.]